Rice Fields Below the Canals

Rice Fields Below the Canals is an original illustration set in Kuttanad, Kerala, India. It lies in equatorial latitudes, where the climate is tropical monsoon — a short drier season inside a wet year.

Broad emerald rice plots lie slightly below a web of reflective canals, enclosed by narrow earthen bunds topped with palms and footpaths. A long wooden boat moves past small houses on the raised bank, while humid monsoon clouds soften the horizon and emphasize the engineered flatness of the lowland.

Why do earthen bunds hold rice fields below surrounding canals?

Because much of Kuttanad lies at or below sea level, farmers first enclose low tracts with bunds and then control or pump water so rice can grow on reclaimed wet ground. Canals remain higher transport and drainage corridors, while homes and palms occupy the safer raised edges. The visible height difference between water, embankments, and intensely green paddies reveals a landscape created by coordinated water management in monsoon Kerala.

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